CISOs Feel the Heat Over AI Risk
Dark Reading, Monday, July 20th, 2026
Job pressures from headlong AI adoption have 26% of top security executives considering leaving their position.
Drawing on a column by Splunk field CISO Kirsty Paine and two Splunk surveys, the article reports that a quarter of security executives (26%) considered leaving their job in the past 12 months.
Nearly every CISO (96%) is now responsible for AI governance and risk management, and 78% have concerns over personal liability stemming from a cybersecurity incident. Splunk CISO Michael Fanning notes that lower-skilled attackers now have tools capable of serious damage while internal AI adoption adds new risk.
Guardrail Technologies CEO TJ Marlin describes employees vibe coding applications and creating shadow AI exposure, warning organizations are ill-equipped as security is again treated as a block to progress.